Symphony in F major "The Cotswolds" - Gustav Holst

Ulster Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta. I - Allegro con brio: 0:00 II - Elegy (In memoriam William Morris). Molto adagio - Agitato - A tempo - Agitato - A tempo: 3:35 III - Scherzo. Presto - Allegretto - Presto - Allegretto - Presto: 12:12 IV - Finale. Allegro moderato: 17:07 Holst's Cotswolds Symphony was composed between 1899-1900, being premiered in April 24 of 1902, performed by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra conducted by Dan Godfrey. The work received mixed reviews, with a musical critic from "The Times" describing the first movement as "very weak and lacking in originality", although praise for the slow movement was unanimous. The subtitle "Cotswolds" refers to a rural area in England the composer was particularly fond of: After leaving high school in Cheltenham, the 19-year old Holst moved to the Cotswolds to take up the temporary post of organist and choirmaster at Wyck Rissington. Shortly afterwards, he took on an additional role, conducting the choral society at Bourton-on-the-Water, just one mile's walk away across the Dikler valley. In between his duties, Holst spent a lot of time hiking the local hills. He developed a deep love of the area, which his daughter Imogen later recalled “was always to remain one of the most precious things in his life.” At 20, Holst moved to London to continue his musical studies. He would spend the rest of his life in the city, but he always remembered and stayed faithful to his origins and often returned to revisit the familiar pathways and countryside. The work is at once pastoral and romantic, the music fully expressing Holst’s affection for the landscape. At the centre of the symphony is a heartfelt elegy for the great designer, poet and Socialist visionary, William Morris, who was one of Holst's great heroes. In this gentle tribute, the composer tried to evoke Morris' vision of the English countryside as a heaven on earth. Despite the young age of the composer, we find a work that is warm and alluring, at times buoyantly rhythmic, and at others stirring. The first movement is structured in monothematic form. It opens with a solemn introduction of the brasses, followed by a joyfull and bucolic main theme exposed by the strings. As we can perceive, the music is fully influenced by the English pastoral trandition. Follows a short development, culminating in a powerful climax with which the movement ends. The second movement, as the first, is built around a main theme. It begins with a funereal theme presented by the clarinet and taken by other woodwinds. The music becomes more solemn and expressive as it is taken by the strings, leading to a majestic climax enhanced by the brasses. However it soon turns more restrained and calm, before a new sudden climax reaches a new dramatic point. This is contrasted by a brief but brilliant climax. A dignified coda ends the movement. The third movement is a scherzo in expanded ternary form. It opens a gentle but rhythmic main theme, full of off-beats and twists. The music explodes in a energic climax driven by the brass. The trio begins with a waltz-like delicate theme presented by strings, offering some contrast. The scherzo is then resumed, being followed by a new recapitulation of the trio. As the scherzo's main theme reappears, the movement ends with a boisterous coda based on said theme. The fourth movement is also structured in monothematic form. It begins with tremolos of the strings, followed by a solemn and glowing theme on the trumpet. It passes to woods and strings. It is transformed and varied as it passes between several combinations of instruments. Follows a brief development section dominated by the brass. The the main theme is triumphally recapitulated. A powerfull coda ends the work brilliantly. Picture: Photograph of a sunset over Lechlade (Cotswolds). Musical analysis written by myself. Sources: https://bit.ly/3LR5Tf2 and https://bit.ly/3BL1c1F